State Says PFOA Found In Shaftsbury Well

Gov. Peter Shumlin says PFOA has been detected in Shaftsbury. The Department of Environmental Conservation tested a monitoring well near the closed Shaftsbury landfill and found levels of PFOA slightly above the state advisory level.

PFOA is a suspected cancer-causing chemical that has been found in water in nearby North Bennington, Bennington and Pownal.

The water in Shaftsbury had levels of PFOA at 25 parts per trillion. The state advisory level is 20 parts per trillion.

The Department of Environmental Conservation will test wells near the landfill and the state is asking anyone with a private well within a quarter mile of the landfill to stop drinking their water.

Officials are looking for a location to distribute free bottled water on Thursday.

The state first discovered PFOA in water near the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington in February, and the chemical has since been found in Pittsford, South Burlington, Shelburne, Essex Junction and Colchester.

Environmental officials say Shaftsbury's municipal water has been tested, and it does not contain PFOA.

There are about 15 wells are in the area, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation, which is asking anyone with a well near the landfill to contact them to get the water tested.

The Shaftsbury Landfill has always been owned and operated by the Town of Shaftsbury. It operated from 1967 to 2006. The town is the current steward of the landfill’s post-closure maintenance plan.

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